Honey Jars and Weeping Willows
by Tomato guppy
Summary: Sollux has to get over a terrible tragedy while keeping his grades up to stay in college. Can Eridan help him through these hard times? This is my first fanfiction so please go easy on me... ;u;
1. Chapter 1: Aradia is what?

Sollux ran down the hallway, desperate to get to his dorm before his roommate did. This was a daily race between the two. Whoever got there first owned the TV remote for the night. It was a silly race but they didn't care. It was fun and put a little excitement to their boring routine. When Sollux got to the dorm, he tried to unlock the door, but found that it was already open. Karkat was casually laying on his bed with the remote in his hand. "Took you long enough." he said, smirking.

Sollux cursed under his breath,"My thtupid teacher wouldn't let uth out on time becauthe John wouldn't thtop talking to Dave."

Karkat blushed a little at the mention of the buck-toothed human, Sollux took note of this and grinned, "I thought you were over him."

"Sh-shut your annoying as fuck lisping mouth! He-He..." Karkat gave up trying to finish the sentence and rolled to where he was facing Sollux.

Sollux rolled his eyes and went to go change shirts. He had been expecting Aradia to call him. They had been dating for a few months but were separated when he went to college on a scholarship and she couldn't. Her foster parents had finally gotten enough money for the first year for her to go and Aradia was accepted into the same college as him.

Wow, what a coincidence!

Sollux cooked up his ramen and walked to his bed and plopped down. He looked at the TV to see what today's romcom torture was. "Thekth in the Thity? Are you actually theriouth, KK?" He looked at his best friend. Karkat barely nodded, he was too interested in the story to care about what Sollux said.

Sollux sighed. Typical life. He usually lost the race to the dorm. Karkat and Sollux had only one class at the same time and it was both their last class of the day. "I gueth I'll go hang out with FF, your girly tv show ith giving me a major headache..."

"Your pathetic excuse of a brain has been reduced to sludge after all those weeks spent shitting around on a computer. You wouldn't understand the perfectness of Sex in the City. Have fun with the fish swimming freak. I'll start trying to worry about you if you're not back by ten."

Sollux smiled and walked out of the dorm. Karkat was a good friend even though he had a hard time showing any other emotion besides a negative one. Sollux walked out of the building and went towards the more expensive ones. Feferi's foster parents were national champion swimmers and were very rich. Feferi was expected to go to some great college in Europe or Asia but choosing the University of Florida made a little sense, too. Florida being a state known for swimming with all the beaches surrounding it. She was the top swimmer of her swim team and she had a perfect body that all the girls wanted and all the guys wanted to touch. It made Sollux quietly laugh to himself everytime he saw a guy try to make a move on her. Little did they know of her, and his, secret. It was all of the kids with the weird attire and names' secret, really. They all had moved to Earth after the game was over and the Beta kids had moved to where they were either in Gainesville as them or pretty close to it. All the younger trolls were adopted by the most loving parents that could be found. Only Aradia and Vriska were living farther off with their foster parents. Aradia in Mississippi, and Vriska in Tennessee. Equius helped both of them with hiding their obvious trollian parts.

After moving to Earth, the trolls obviously stuck out like a sore thumb. Sollux and Equius teamed up to disguise everyone. Kanaya worked on understanding fashion so the trolls would look better in the clothing department. She didn't think their zodiac signs on their shirts were going to cut if they wore it everyday. Sollux and Equius made some strange gadget that hid the grey skin and horns from human eyes. Of course the Beta kids still saw the trolls as they were, and Sollux programmed it to be that way. Sollux and Equius were stumped on how to hide the blood color so every troll was told to try to not to bleed, cry, blush, or give away their odd body fluid colors in public.

The only troll to almost give away their color was Nepeta. She was with Equius and he accidentally rub her head too hard in the hallway, causing her to bleed a little. Equius safely got her to Feferi and all was well.

Speaking of Feferi, Sollux was knocking on her door. He thought he heard screaming but decided it was just the voices in his head. Feferi finally answered the door. She looked a bit mad and her cheeks were flushed pink. Feferi's expression softened when she saw Sollux. "Oh! Hey Sollux!" she giggled as she moved backwards a little. "Please come in!"

Sollux smiled and walked in, "Hey, FF. Thorry that I came on thuch short notithe. KK wath watching thome crappy TV show and I couldn't handle lithening to it."

Feferi smiled. She went to go get Sollux a jar of honey, like she always did when he came over. Sollux had put a jar of honey in all of his friends' houses for when he came over, he'd have something to eat that wouldn't inconvenience them. He sat down and looked around. She had a pretty awesome dorm. It was basically like an apartment. She decorated it like it was under the sea. She even had a humongous fish tank with three cuttlefish in it. Sollux looked down the hallway to see a strange sight. The biggest douchebag was sitting in a corner, moping. "Uh. FF?" Sollux looked at the ex-troll who was standing on her tip-toes to get the honey.

"Are you aware of the pompouth hipthter thitting and crying in your hallway?"

She sighed, "Eridan is in timeout... Don't talk to him, ok?"

Sollux burst out laughing. Eridan? In time out? He's 19! Feferi puted when she saw Sollux dying a little on the floor in a fit of laughter. "Shoosh, Sollux! Eridan doesn't need you laughing at him!"

"I-I'm gonna die, FF!" Sollux was clutching his lungs while laughing just a bit more. Once he stopped and looked down the hallway, he saw royal purple eyes framed in hipster shades glaring in his direction. "I-"

"No talking Eridan or I'll add an extra 10 minutes!"

He scowled and went back to staring at the corner. Sollux stood up on his shaky legs and walked to Feferi, still smiling like an idiot. She succeeded in getting the jar and handed it to Sollux. He opened the lid and stuck his finger in. "Tho how have your clatheth been?"

She groaned and did a little pout dance to express her frustration. "Insufferable! The only time my classes are good is when Nepeta is in them..."

Sollux sighed, "I can relate to that... I have KK and John in an engineering clath but it'th not very fun watching KK attempt to flirt with John and fail."

Feferi smiled and nodded, "I think he's getting closer to actually flirting with John! I have faith in Karkrab..." She went to check on Eridan.

Sollux sucked on his finger and thought about Aradia. He missed her so much and couldn't wait to see her again. She hadn't called in a few weeks and Sollux was getting nervous, and actually a little pissed off. He had decided she stopped talking to him because she was cheating. The thought of her with someone else made his psionics go off a little. "FF..." he started.

"Yes?" Feferi looked at the dual-eye colored boy.

"Have you heard from AA lately?"

Feferi froze where she was and turned to look at Sollux. Pink tears filled in her eyes. "Sollux... Out of everyone... How the glubbing hell do you not know?"

Sollux cocked his head, "Know what? All I know ith that she hathn't rethponded to my callth or tekth or even letterth!"

He looked at Feferi as Eridan came walking up. "Aradia is-"

Feferi put smacked her hand over his mouth and looked at Sollux,"I think it's time for you to go home... Karkat should tell you..."

Confused, Sollux nodded and put the honey jar down. "Uh... Bye FF and Ed, I gueth..." He walked out into the humidity of Florida and went back to his dorm.

Sollux walked into his dorm and saw a sight even stranger than Eridan in time-out.

Karkat and John were having a heated session.

Of arm wrestling.

And Karkat was losing.

Sollux snickered at this. "Need back-up, KK?"

Karkat jumped and that made him lose. He glared at Sollux, "YOU FUCKING DOUCHEMUFFIN! I'M GOING TO TAKE YOUR RETARDED OPTIC POWERS AND SHOVE THEM UP YOUR ASS!"

John laughed at Karkat's outburst. "Karkat, calm down! We can always arm wrestle again!"

Karkat huffed and glared at the floor.

"Ah... Karkat, I need to talk to you. Alone."

Karkat looked up at him, "Uh... Ok then."

John got the message and went to stand in the hallway until they finished. Sollux looked at Karkat with worried eyes. "Do you know what'th wrong with AA and why she hathn't talked to anyone?"

Karkat face changed to an expression that Sollux was not used to seeing. It was sadness and guilt. "I didn't want to tell you right away..." he sighed and shifted his feet. After a while, Karkat finally looked back up at Sollux, "A few weeks ago Aradia was killed in a car accident. It wasn't her fault, the breaks somehow just quit. All of us found out when Equius called her family to make sure Aradia's disguise machine was still functioning right. We all decided we were going to wait to tell you so it wouldn't affect your grades..."

Sollux had to take a few minutes to let that sink in. Aradia was dead. Gone. Never to return. He felt his psionic powers flaring in and around him. Karkat jumped as Solux lifted himself into the air. The red and blue electric energy gradually got stronger. His disguise short circuited so his grey skin and four horns were visible.

"Sollux!" Karkat grabbed his foot in an attempt to bring him down. "Calm down!"

Miraculously, Sollux did calm down. Yellow tears streamed down his eyes and his shoulders shook. "AA ith dead? T-that can't be p-pothible..."

Karkat pulled him into a hug, "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you sooner."

Sollux cried into his shoulder and said silently begged Aradia for forgiveness. He thought she had been cheating on him since they lived so far away. Sollux looked up behind Karkat and saw something.

"A-aradia?"


	2. Chapter 2

Karkat scrunched his eyebrows up, "What the hell are you talking about, Sollux?"

Sollux didn't respond. He was busy staring at the ghost of his dead girlfriend and as she floated in air with an apathetic look across her face. Her faded black hair went to the backs of her knees. Her clothes were torn and dirty, but her zodiac sign was noticeable through the dirt and mist. The worst thing that Sollux saw was her eyes. Aradia's once beautiful ruby red eyes with yellow surrounding were now a solid white.

"A-Aradia..." Sollux stammered. He could hardly believe that she was there.

Aradia looked up at him with her white sockets. "Hello Sollux..." She looked herself up and down and stated, "I think I'm dead."

Sollux nodded as the fresh yellow tears streamed down his face. "Y-yea... You are..."

"I saw my foster family throw me a corpse party. Wait... Why are you crying?"

"I-i'm..." he began, "I'm very thorry... I thought you were cheating on me becauthe of you being far away for tho long... Pleathe forgive me..."

Aradia's face never changed from her blank expression. "I'm ok with it. I've been ok with a lot of things lately." She drifted closer to Sollux until she was a mere 6 inches away from his face. Karkat had released Sollux and turned around by now. "The voices of the dead told me you found out so I thought I could visit you one last time before I leave permanently. I'm listening to them this time."

She drifted back and started to dissolve. "Maybe I'll see you at your corpse party once your time has come. Goodbye Sollux."

She then faded away.

"Aradia!" he tried to grab her but couldn't. His whole body started to shake. "Aradia... Come back... I mith you already..."

John poked his head in. "Uh... Karkat? I'm gonna go home now... Maybe tomorrow we can start that cooking project and have a rematch to the arm wrestle!" He quietly closed the door and his his footsteps could be heard walking down the hall.

Karkat, unable to be the comforting type, awkwardly papped the side of Sollux's head. "Get some rest... I'm so sorry about your girlfriend..." Karkat then went to shower.

Sollux sighed sadly and walked to his room. He plopped onto his bed. He had homework but he didn't care. He wanted to just lie on his bed forever and disappear. Sadly, that wasn't an option for him. He was going to this college on a scholarship so he had to keep his grades up or else he'd be kicked out. He was a total suck-up to teachers but he could pass any class if he wasn't in any negative mood.

Now, he felt completely depressed.

Sollux smushed his face into his bee plushie that Aradia had given him when they met before he left for college. "Aradia..."

He then promptly fell asleep.

o-o

Weeks passed, then a month or so went by. Soon it had changed from August to October. Sollux had been struggling with his grades and soon was only talking to Karkat, Feferi, and John. When Sollux finally got up on a 70 degree afternoon, John and Karkat were in the kitchen, working on some Latvian dish that neither wanted to do. Karkat's jet black hair was pulled back into a small ponytail, probably John's doing so Karkat didn't complain at all. Sollux got up and stumbled into the kitchen, yawning. Both of the trolls didn't have their disguise on. "Finally Lord Lazy Ass of the Kingdom of Sleep the Whole Fucking Morning Away arises." grumbled Karkat.

Sollux stumbled and got out his honey jar. "Shut up and make your shitty food." Actually, Karkat was a pretty good cook, but they couldn't afford anything so both of the boys ate a strict diet of Chinese take out and ramen.

Karkat rolled his eyes and continued making what is known as bacon rolls. (It's a roll. With bacon stuffed into it.) "You're going to turn into Winnie the fucking Pooh if you keeping eating that shit."

Sollux snickered. "At leatht I'll be yellow."

"Don't be optimistic about that! You'll wearing that retarded red shirt! He's so fat, he can't even fit in pants!"

"Then I'll be living the dream..."

Karkat facepalmed and went back to making the Latvian treat. "And stop going through so many fucking honey jars! We can't even afford to go on a shopping spree to the Dollar Tree, let alone buying you your revolting honey!"

"Shut it, KK. If I run out of honey here, I'll take refuge in FF'th oven and eat to my heart'th content until she kickth me out. Which will be never." Sollux smirked.

"I AM GOING TO SHOVE A JAR UP YOUR ASS UNTIL IT COMES OUT OF YOUR PROTEIN CHUTE!"

"That thoundth really kinky, KK. Even for you."

John was silently laughing at the daily argument between Sollux and Karkat. Karkat went back to cooking, grumbling and mumbling curses towards Sollux the whole time. Sollux watched as the two talked and smiled slightly. He was happy to see his best friend getting his way for once. Karkat had been so busy trying to keep Sollux from spiraling down to the depths of depression. He was doing a pretty good job of doing so considering he was so crabby. Sollux silently thanked his lucky stars each night for Karkat's friendship. Feferi had been helping a lot, too. She came over at least once a week to make Sollux a nice seafood dinner. She always offered Karkat some but he refused each time, saying that he could cook anything better than Feferi. Eridan had also been trying to help as much as he could. He'd tag along with Feferi and help her make dinner for Sollux, but he would always make an excuse to leave before it was time to eat. Sollux didn't think much of it.

Sollux stumbled back into his room with his jar of honey tucked safely in the pocket in his hoodie. He sat in his computer chair and turned on his laptop. He sighed, as soon as he could get money, he'd need a new laptop. Maybe even a desktop... He decided to get dressed while he waited for his incredibly slow computer to turn on. After Sollux stripped down to his boxers, he slipped on a black and yellow striped t-shirt on and pulled on some black pants. Sollux then stuck his finger into the yellow goodness that is honey in a jar.

Once his laptop had turned on, he gazed at the screen saver that had been set for at least six months now. It was a weeping willow with Aradia sitting underneath it and smiling at the camera. The afternoon sunlight struck her auburn red hair. She had worn a white t-shirt with a red hoodie that day. He frowned slightly. Weeping willows were so beautiful to him. Yet, it was named because it looked sad. It reminded him of when he first saw one and decided they looked amazing. When he was in highschool and living with his foster parents, there was a little girl across the street. Her name was Hannah. She was very imaginative and adored cats. One day, her grandmother died and Hannah was devastated. Her mother then planted a weeping willow in the front yard. Sollux sighed and went onto to look at different images.

A few hours later, there was a knock at his door. "Come in..." said Sollux, eyes never leaving the screen.

Sollux finally turned around when the stranger didn't speak. Eridan awkwardly walked in, holding a bag full of ingredients. He was wearing a white button-up collared shirt with a purple sweater vest over it. His matching purple skin tight jeans showed off every muscle in his legs and...other parts... Sollux sure wasn't complaining. Eridan had taken off his shoes at the door. Sollux raised an eyebrow. "What the fuck do you want, Ampora?"

He glared at the lowblood. "Well aren't we bein' nice to the extremely kind person who volunteered to feed your pathetic arse."

"Where'th FF?"

"She has a doctor's appointment in about ten minutes."

Sollux sighed and stood up. "Alright then, what'th on the fishy menu tonight?"

"Shrimp lemon pasta."

"That'th alwayth good. Let'th go make it." Sollux walked out to the kitchen section of the dorm with Eridan following behind. "Hopefully you're ath awethome ath FF ith at cooking."

He looked around for Karkat and John but they seemed to be out. Sollux shrugged and turned around to make sure the purple blood was still following him. He noticed that Eridan was still in disguise. "Y'know you can turn off the dithguithe. It'th not like anyone elthe ith going to thee you."

Eridan pointed his nose high into the air. "I prefer to keep it on, my outfit suits humans and not my wonderful troll self."

"Whatever, ED. You look like a dork. A pathty white dork."

Eridan made a 'hmph' sound and placed the bag on the counter. "There isn't much room to be makin' this. Couldn't we go back to my and Fef's place?"

"No way, I like the microwave in here."

"You don't need a microwave to make this dish?"

"...Tho?"

Eridan shook his head and grabbed the bag of shrimp. "I'm peelin' the shrimp. You can zest this lemon and put the noodles in the water when the water starts boilin', got it?"

"Zethting lemonth ith for weenieth. I want to peel the shrimp." Sollux tried to grab the bag of shrimp from the blonde and purple haired buffoon.

"What are you inquirin', Sol?" He smacked Sollux's hand away and got to work on peeling. Sollux could tell after three shrimp shells later that Eridan was not enjoying this as much as he thought he would.

Sollux smirked and lazily rubbed the lemon with the (cleverly named) zester. "Wanna trade now, ED?"

He shuddered as another shell cracked. Eridan shook his head violently. "I don't need some low-wblood to my w-work..."

"Lovely thtutter you theem to have gotten."

Eridan started throwing shrimp at Sollux in a hipster fury. Sollux ducked under the table and grabbed Eridan. He tickled his foot as much as he could, knowing how ticklish the highbloods were. It was an odd symptom for Gamzee, Eridan, and Feferi. Eridan kicked and screamed. "GET THE FUCK OFF, SOL!"

Sollux laughed, "Will you zetht and put the noodleth in the water?"

"YES! W-WHATEV-VER GETS YOU OFF OF MY COD DAMN FOOT!"

Sollux immediately let go and got all of the shrimp on the table. He began peeling each shrimp after washing them off. The rest of the cooking went off without any problems.

Once dinner was on the table, Eridan started getting ready to go. "Well, I guess I'll be on my way. I'll tell Fef you ate."

Sollux grabbed his shoulder. "C'mon... Thtay and eat... I don't know where KK ith and I can't eat all of thith by mythelf..."

Eridan sighed and sat down. He looked at Sollux. "Well? Aren't you goin' to set up my spot?"

"Thnob." Sollux rolled his eyes and set out a plastic plate, fork, and a cup of lemonade in front of Eridan. "Good enough for the lady?"

Eridan glared at him. "Don't start, Sol."

Sollux and Eridan ate in comfortable silence for a while. Once they had finished, Eridan got up. "I suppose now I'll be takin' my leave. It was...nice bein' with you for a few hours, Sol... Even if you did tickle my feet like the crazy bastard you are."

Sollux got up as well. "Maybe you could come over again thometime. I get tired of teathing KK all day and I want to try thome new material on thomeone elthe bethideth him." he smirked at Eridan.

"Maybe we could but I don't want to be takin' part a your taunts in testin' if you don't mind. I'll pester you when I get back to my house." He nodded at Sollux and briskly walked out of the dorm.

Sollux watched after he left and sighed. _'I don't have any flushed feelingth for that sea dwelling freak. He'th thcummy and thnobby and thkinny and other adjectiveth thtarting with th and ending in y.' _he thought. But he couldn't stop thinking about Eridan.

Sollux walked to his room and lied with his face in a pillow. He felt guilty having the tiniest of crushes on Eridan. He felt as if he was cheating on Aradia. He shook his head and sleep finally took over him after a long evening with the hipster.

**(A/N I was gonna post this earlier but my computer randomly ran out of memory! D: And thank you all for the lovely reviews and follows~! :D They made my day sparkle! ^-^)**


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